Furnace



' (No Model.) I

0. H. VAN BENSGHOTEN.

' FURNACE. No 322,215. Patented Jul 14, 1885.,

F g.1 1 as- UNITED STATES PATENT ()rrrcn CHARLES H. VAN BENSOHOTEN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,215, dated July 14-, 1885.

Application filed April 10, 1882. (No model.)

may also be applied to furnaces for heating purposes.

The object of my invention is to provide means for controlling the draft in the furnace and creating the greatest possible amount of heat arising from combustion of the fuel in the furnace, and also to provide a ready and novel means for clearing the furnace or removing therefrom any ashes or clinker.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a central longitudinal section through a furnace constructed according to my invention, the boiler not being shown in section, but partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation, the section being taken at the line as a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the dumping-grate at the rear part of the fire-chamber. Fig. 4 is an enlarged View of one of the steam jets through which steam is introduced to the firechamber.

A is the boiler; B, the fire-chamber; O, the rear chamber, and D the ash-pit. The firechamber is provided with the ordinary firedoors a. The fire-chamber and ash-p it are separated from the rear chamber, C, by a double or compound bridge-wall, E, which consists of a front portion or wall, 12, and a rear wall, I). The front wall, I), does not extend quite to the boiler, so that an opening, (1, is left between the upper edge of the wall and the lower side of the boiler, the top of the wall being preferably concave to correspond with the convexity of the lower side of the boiler. The rear portion, 1), of the bridge-wall is built up closely against-the under side of the boiler, and is provided with the openings 6 0' 0 extending from the bottom of the furnace to a point a little below the top of the front portion, I), as shown in Fig. l. The rear face of the front portion, 6, of the bridge-wall is slanting, as shown, and partition-walls f extend between the front face of the rear wall,

I), and the rear face of the front wall, I), sepa rating the openings 6 e e from each other, making each of said openings a separate and distinct flue, open at, the top, through which the products of combustion pass. The fines or openings e" are provided with dampers F F, which are preferably constructed and arranged to be raised by appropriate meansas, for example, a rod or clamp, f. The slanting rear face of the wall I) is provided with ledges g, upon which the dampers F F rest when they are lowered. The fire-chamber B is provided with the ordinary gratebars, G, the rear ends of which are slightly lower than the front ends, and are supported on the wall H, placed in the ash-pit a short distance in front of the bridge-wall E. This wall is made in the form of an open arch, so that the ash-pit is not divided by the wall, but extends back to the bridgewall. If pre ferred, the wall H may be dispensed with and a girder or support extending from side to side of the furnace be substituted, upon which the ends of the grate-bars rest. A space is left between the rear ends of the grate-bars G and the bridge-wall E, and in this space is placed a supplemental dumping-grate,G, the several bars of which are attached at one end to the rod or. shaft I, extending across the furnace, and being journaled in the side walls. One end of this shaft extends beyond the side of the furnace, and is providedwith a hand wheel or crank,J, by which the shaft may be turned, by which arrangement the grate G'may be caused to close the space between the arch H and the bridge-wall, or be turned down to cause any ashes, clinkers, or the like to be dropped into the ash-pit. The shaft I is provided with means for retaining the grate G in the desired position, the means shown in the present instance being a ratchet and pawl, j. When more than one boiler is used, it will be necessary to adopt some means for tilting the grate other than those herein shown-as, for instance, levers operated through the ash-pit.

At the rear of the bridge-wall E is placed the abutment K, extending from side to side ment is recrossed back, as shown in Fig.1,

' dampers may be opened.

forming a chamber, 0, communicating with the rear chamber or fiue, O. This chamber 0 is so placed with reference to the openings or fiues 6 6'6 that a portion of the smoke and products of combustion passing through said fines is conducted into said chamber, and from its arched shape is carried around, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, and thrown. back toward the fiues ee 6 and in this way con-' centrating a great amount of heat at this point, which, before passing off, more fully heats the boiler, and also causes a large portion of the smoke to be consumed,creating an additional amount of heat.

WVhen for any reason it is desired to concentrate the heat and increase the draft at one side of the furnace, one of the dampers F F is closed and the smoke conducted through the opening at the opposite side of the furnace and through the central opening, 0',- or both dampers may be closed and the smoke conducted through the central opening only, in which event the draft will be greatly accelerated. 7

It will be found desirable to close one or both of the dampers when starting the fire, and as more diffused draft is needed these By dropping the cinders into the rear portion of the ash-pit by depressing the grate G, all the heat arising from the cinders is utilized, and thus no heat is wasted.

As a further means of increasing,when desired, the combustion of the fuel in the furnace, I introduce steam into the fire-chamber B in the following novel manner: A steampipe, L, communicating with the steam-space of the boiler, passes around the front end of said boiler, being preferably located in the wall supporting the front end of the boiler, as shown in Fig. 1, an air-space, M, being left between the pipe and the wall, which airspace communicates with the outer air at the top of the boiler and with the fire-chamber, and cold air may be introduced to the firechamber through this airspace to cause a more complete combustion of the smoke. In this manner the pipe is protected from the heat of the fire in the fire-chamber. From this pipe L extends a number of steam-jets,

h,proje'cting into the fire-chamber, and each of these jets is provided with a hood, 70, extending ashort distance beyond the endof the jets, and these hoods are so shaped as to direct the steam toward the rear portion of the fire-chamber, preferably toward the grate G. The current of steam entering the firechamber through these jets increases the draft in the furnace, and also drives the smoke down on the live coals at the rear of the firechamber, causing a large portion of it to be consumed. A steam-valve, L, is provided, by which the flow of steam through the pipe L is controlled. This arrangement of steam-jets enables me to burn coke as readily as coal, and

from the steam-jets,which steam mingles with g the smoke at the rear of the fire-chamber. The unconsumed smoke then passes through the fines e e e in the bridge-wall, and is further consumed by the concentration of heat at this point.

The particular constructioir and arrangement of grates herein shown and described may be advantageously employed without the other features of my invention, and will be found particularly serviceable in connection with steamboat-boilers, as by the use of the rear dumping-grate, G, the fire-chamber may be kept clear of clinkers without in any way interfering with the fire in the fire-chamber.

I havedesigned a new mode of feeding the furnace, which consists of an inclined hopper, J, which is inserted into the opening of the door-frame a. This hopper is of such shape and location relative to the fire-chamber that the fuel will descend readily by gravity down the hopper and into the chamber. The hopper may be covered to prevent the escape of smoke and gases when the fuel in the hopper is low, and when considerable fuel is in the hopper no cover is needed, and the fuel in the hopper will be somewhat coked. This hopper J may be fixed to the opening in the door- 7 frame or removable therefrom, as desired.

In order to guard against the clogging of fuel, I have provided in the lower part of the hopper J a worm or conveyer, M, the shaft of which is journaled in the front side of the hopper, and, extending beyond the hopper, is provided with a crank, N, or its equivalent, by which the conveyer is revolved.

WVhen the furnace is to be cleaned or repaired, the door carrying the hopper may be opened or removed, as desired.

To feed fresh fuel to the fire, the conveyer is turned and as much fuel as desired is forced into the fire-chamber without opening the door, and in this way the draft is not interfered with,-nor is any heat lost, and as a consequence the remaining features of my invention are rendered more completely operative.

This last feature of my invention may be advantageously employed on furnaces not employing the remaining features of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is as follows:

1. The compound bridge-wall E, consisting of the two portions b b and provided with the fiues 6 6 in combination with the dampers F F, sliding between the walls I) b, and resting on a ledge between them, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The compound bridge-wall E, consisting of the two portions 6 b and provided with the flues e 6 6 the rear face of the portion b being inclined substantially as shown, and provided with the ledges g, in combination with the dampers F F, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the fire-chamber B; the bridge-wall E, having a diving-flue and provided with an opening at its upper end for the passage of the flame from the fire-cham- G, and the reverberatory chamber, the flue GIIARLES H. VAN BENSCHO'IEN. Attest:

EDWARDS RITCHIE,

E. R. HILL. 

